Vania



(No Model.)

0. E. SWINGLE & C. FRANTZ.

BARREL TAPPING WRENCH.

No. 590,730. Patented Sept. 28,1897;

WWW

UNITED STATES PATE T FFICE CHARLES E. SWINGLE AND CHARLES FRANTZ, OF LUZERNE, PENNSYL- VANIA; SAID FRANTZ ASSIGNOR'TO SAID SWINGLE'; SAID SWINGLE ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHNv HARRINGTON, OF SAME PLACE.

'BARREL-TAPPlNG WRENCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.590,730, dated September 28, 1897.

Application filed October 24, 1896. Renewed July 2, 1897. Serial No. 643,286. (No model.) I

1 all whom it may concern:

Beit known that we, CHARLES E. SWINGLE and CHARLES FRANTZ, citizens of the United States, residing at Luzerne borough, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Barrel-Tapping Wrenches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to barrel-taps; and.

it consists in an improved wrench to be used in tapping barrels and kegs of beer and other liquor.

The object of our invention is to produce a wrench which is simple and convenient and which is not likely to be lost and mislaid.

To these ends the invention comprises a wrench which embraces and slides freely upon the eduction-pipe, and which is provided with a frictional-holding device adapted to slide frictionally upon the pipe and to hold the wrench thereon in any desired position.

For a fuller description of the invention reference is had to the following specification and to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of a plug and wrench, showing the eduction-pipe inserted through the plu g. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section. through the parts shownin Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section showing a modified form of wrench, and Fig. 4 is a plan view of the larger end of the plug.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a plug which may be of any convenient form. The plug has a central tubular passage 2, through which the eduction-pipe, 3 may be easily passed. The inner end at of the central opening is adapted to receive a cork or stopper, and the outerend is formed with an enlarged opening to receive a packing-ring 5 and a packing-nut 6, the ring 5 being included be tween the nut 6 and aishoulder 7, formed in the plug. The nut 6 has the usual holes 8 in its upperside to receive the lugs of a wrench or key.

The parts above described are of ordinary construction and are used in a well-known manner as follows: When a barrel is to be tapped, the eduction-pipe is passed into the 'plug and part way through the same. The nut 6 is then screwed down until the packing 5 makes an air-tightjoint between the pipe and the plug, and, lastly, the pipe is forced into the barrel as far as desired, dislodging the cork from the inner end of the plug as it is pushed'in.

Our improvements consist in a wrench which isloosely connected to the eductionpipe free to turn thereon, while at the same time it is prevented from sliding off of the pipe, notwithstanding-it is adjustable to any part of the pipe, and it doesnot obstruct the passage of the pipe into the barrel. In'its simplest form, as illustrated'in the drawings, the wrench consists in a tubular body 9, having at its lower end suitable lugs 10 to engage the packing-nut. 6, and at its upper end a suitable handle or handles 11, wherewith the wrench is turned. As shown in Fig. 2, the wrench has a central cylindrical cavity 12, which is considerably larger than the eduction-pipe, and at the ends of this cavity are inwardly-turned flanges 13 1t. \Vithin the cavity 12 is a sleeve 15, which is preferably formed of some elastic or contractile material and which slides upon the pipe but grips the same with sufficient force to hold the wrench in any desired position and prevent it from sliding off. The sleeve 15 is preferably made of a piece of rubber tubing, but it may obviously be constructed of other elastic material. A split sleeve or collar of spring steel or brass would answer the same purpose in a way, although the rubber adjusts itself better to variations of the diameter of the educt-i ontube. The diameter of the cavity 12 is larger than the diameter of the sleeve 15, and therefore the wrench turns freely upon the sleeve. The annular shoulders 13 and 14, however, prevent the wrench from becoming displaced or lost. It is designed to furnish each tube with a wrench, and thus prevent any delay or inconvenience in tapping barrels or kegs. As shown in Fig. 2, the shoulder 14 and the handles 11 are formed integral and attached to the body 9 by suitable screws 16. As shown in Fig. 3, the entire wrench is cast in one piece, including the handles 11 and the inwardly-turned flanges 13 and 14:. In this case the parts are assembled by first compressing the rubber sleeve and inserting it into the opening in the wrench and then passing the pipe through the wrench and the sleeve.

It will be obvious that minor changes may be made Without departing from the spirit of our invention.

\Vhat we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device for tapping barrels, the combination with the eduction-pipe, of a wrench or key fitting loosely upon the pipe and free to turn thereon without friction, and a frictional device embracing the pipe and adj ustable thereon, said device being adapted to retain the wrench upon the pipe, substantially as described.

2. In a device for tapping barrels, the combination with the eduction-pipe, of a contractile sleeve upon said pipe adapted to slide frictionally thereon, a tap-wrench fitting loosely over said sleeve and pipe, and means for retaining the wrench upon the sleeve, whereby the sleeve prevents the wrench from slipping off of the pipe, substantially as described.

3. In a device for tapping beer-barrels, the

4. A beer-tap Wrench having a body with a cylindrical opening and an inwardly-turned flange at each end thereof, and a tubular rubber sleeve Within the opening and adapted to grasp the eduction-pipe frictionally, sub stantially .as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES E. SW INGLE. CHARLES FRANTZ.

Witnesses:

W. L. RAEDER, W. C. OLns. 

